Access to Parliament

Lord Elton: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 5 May (WA 104), what assessment they have made of how the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis has in the past month carried out the duty laid on him by the House of Lords' sessional order made on 3 December 2008.

Lord West of Spithead: The sessional order on stoppages in the street is a statement of the House's expectations that passage to the House will be kept free and open. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has ensured that at least partial access has been maintained at all times.

Alcohol

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many alcohol-related deaths occurred on United Kingdom roads in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

Lord Adonis: The estimated number of fatalities resulting from drink-drive accidents that occurred on Great Britain's roads in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2007 are given in the table:
	
		
			 Year Number of fatalities(1) 
			 1990 760 
			 1995 540 
			 2000 530 
			 2005 550 
			 2007(P) 460 
		
	
	(1) Figures rounded to nearest 10
	(P) = provisional data
	Estimates for 2007 are provisional as they are based on a reduced sample of coroners' returns which may not be representative.
	Final estimates for 2007 and provisional estimates for 2008 will be published in August 2009.

Banking: Bank of Scotland (Ireland)

Lord Howard of Rising: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 7 May (WA 131), why, if the operations of the Royal Bank of Scotland are a matter for the directors of the bank, Lord Myners disclosed details of the operation of the bank on 28 April (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 107); and whether this disclosure was in accordance with the framework document between HM Treasury and UK Financial Investments.

Lord Myners: The framework document between HM Treasury and UK Financial Investments (UKFI) sets the key parameters for how UKFI will conduct its business, including:
	a clear mandate for UKFI to manage the investments commercially, and with a view to achieving an exit;a clear distinction between: commercial decisions, which are for UKFI to take within the context of a high-level investment mandate; and policy decisions, which are for Ministers to take;a requirement that UKFI will not intervene in the day-to-day management decision of its investee companies, and that the companies will retain their own independent boards, which will manage the banks and determine their strategy; androbust institutional arrangements for keeping UKFI at arm's-length from Government, centred on the creation of a heavyweight UKFI board which will take all major decisions relating to UKFI's business and its management of the investments.
	I can confirm that my comments were in accordance with this.

Banking: Bank of Scotland (Ireland)

Lord Howard of Rising: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Myners on 7 May (WA 131—2), what was the cost to public funds of providing those Answers; and whether they will review the Answers.

Lord Myners: The cost of answering the two Written Questions was de minimis. I have no intention of reviewing the Answers.

Banking: UK Financial Investments Ltd

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make publicly available a redacted version of the United Kingdom Financial Investments Ltd mandate, with commercially sensitive material removed.

Lord Myners: The investment mandate will be in place shortly. Given the market-sensitive nature of the document, we do not intend to publish it.

Civil Service: Performance Pay

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 30 April (WA 44) concerning the amount of funding for Senior Civil Servants' performance-related pay, what were the figures requested.

Lord Tunnicliffe: The following table contains the information requested in respect of the performance-related pay of Senior Civil Servants within the Department for International Development.
	
		
			 Financial Year 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Total SCS Paybill (£) 5,346,854 5,839,261 6,649,648 7,514,039 7,577,787 
			 Performance Pot as % of Total Paybill 5.0% 6.5% 7.6% 8.6% 8.6% 
			 Available Non-consolidated Performance Pot (£) 267,342 379,552 505,373 646,207 651,690 
			 Actual Spend (£) 266,750 377,100 504,000 641,510 634,150

Civil Service: Performance Pay

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 20 April (WA 370) concerning the amount of funding for Senior Civil Servants' performance-related pay, what were the monetary amounts for each of those five years.

Lord Bach: For members of the Senior Civil Service, non-consolidated performance payments are allocated by departmental pay committees to high performing staff to reflect their individual contribution during the previous performance year. The size of the non-consolidated performance pay pot available for the Senior Civil Service is specified in guidelines issued by Cabinet Office annually following the report of the Senior Salaries Review Body. Details of the monetary amounts spent for each of the past five years for the Ministry of Justice in 2008 and for the Department of Constitutional Affairs in the previous four years, are detailed below: The increase in cost associated with performance-related pay in 2008 resulted from the creation of the Ministry of Justice and an increase in SCS staff numbers.
	
		
			 Paid in Calendar Year Department Total Amount Awarded 
			 2004 DCA £268,900 
			 2005 DCA £537,687 
			 2006 DCA £821,750 
			 2007 DCA £866,500 
			 2008 MOJ £1,648,000

Economy: Recession

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reports of an easing of recessionary pressures in the British economy; and which sectors are likely to experience a medium-term recovery in industry and services.

Lord Myners: The Government continue to monitor a range of economic indicators as part of their overall assessment of the state of the UK economy. As the Government set out in the 2009 Budget, the economy is forecast to pick up progressively through 2010 and 2011 as the macroeconomic stimulus builds and credit conditions ease. The Government anticipate that future sources of growth in the UK will be more varied and will include industries, such as low-carbon, advanced manufacturing and communications, as set out in New Industry, New Jobs, published on 20 April 2009.

Equal Pay: Government Departments

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what pay gaps there are in respect of gender, race and disability among employees of the Ministry of Justice.

Lord Bach: There are separate bargaining mechanisms and pay structures in place for the core Ministry of Justice (core MoJ) and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
	The results of the 2008 Equal Pay audit within the core MoJ indicate that the current pay deal is addressing inequalities. The mean gender pay gap across the core MoJ is 10.5 per cent (the median gap is 5.3 per cent), and this is reducing. These figures compare favourably with the respective economy-wide pay gaps of 17.1 per cent and 12.8 per cent. (source: Office for National Statistics).
	Core MoJ is encouraging staff to update their details in respect of ethnic background and disability status, to improve our statistical data. We will report on any gaps in these areas in future pay audits.
	It has not been possible to supply the information you have requested in respect of NOMS. This information is not collated centrally.

Financial Services Authority

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many complaints the Financial Services Authority has received in the past two years concerning mortgages.

Lord Myners: The matters raised in this question are the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority, the day-to-day operations of which are independent from government control and influence. I have asked the FSA to write to the noble Lord.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what meaning they attribute to the statement by Lord Warner on 8 March 2005 during the debate on the Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulations 2005 that "fluoridation schemes would only be introduced where the local population were in favour" (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 706)
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 18 May (WA 253—4), whether the finding from the telephone survey that "those who say they know a great deal or fair amount about the subject are more likely than those with minimal knowledge to oppose fluoridation in their area" should be taken into account in assessing the "extent of support for the proposal" under the Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulations 2005.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Under Regulation 5 of the Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulations 2005, a strategic health authority considering the outcome of a consultation on water fluoridation is required to take into account both the extent of support for the proposal and the cogency of the arguments advanced. In so doing, the Authority has to be satisfied that the health arguments in favour of proceeding with the proposal outweigh all arguments against proceeding with it before it takes any steps regarding fluoridation arrangements. No clear association has been found between fluoridation and cancer or any other risk to systemic health. Lord Warner's commitment was made in the context of this regulation.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 18 May (WA 253—4) and 20 May (WA 323—4), whether opposition expressed by members of the public to a health measure that will affect them, based on the grounds that scientific findings about possible risks of cancer and other harms have been mixed, should be taken into account.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Opposition expressed by members of the public should be taken into account. However, account also needs to be taken of the fact that no clear association has been found between fluoridation and cancer or any other risk to systemic health.

Housing: Property Purchase

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government why, further to the answer by Baroness Andrews on 14 May (Official Report, House of Lords, cols. 1105—07) on funding purchasers under the MyChoiceHomeBuy scheme which stated that "where the funding has been approved, we have released funding and people will get their equity loans", applicants who had been approved have since been refused funding for a second time.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Baroness Andrews on 14 May (Official Report, House of Lords, cols. 1105—07) on funding purchasers under the MyChoiceHomeBuy scheme, when will more funding be available under the scheme for applicants who have complied with the application procedures but who have been told for a second time that there is no funding available.

Baroness Andrews: There are broadly three stages to the MyChoice HomeBuy application process. At the first stage, the applicant's eligibility for MyChoice HomeBuy is assessed. At the second stage, eligible applicants are given approval to look for a property.
	Funding has been made available for all applicants who have reached the third and final stage of the application process. These applicants have been given confirmation in writing from the equity loan provider that their chosen property, and funding for that property, has been approved. The availability of funding is confirmed only at this stage and we are not aware of any cases where funding has subsequently been refused.
	All applicants are told that approval to look for a property is not a guarantee of funding. Both the property and the purchaser have to be eligible to qualify for assistance from the MyChoice HomeBuy scheme, so funding approval is not given until after the property is found.
	£126 million has been made available this year to meet funding commitments under the MyChoice HomeBuy scheme. We are now considering the next steps for funding. In managing the Affordable Housing Programme, the Government need to strike the right balance between this scheme and other programmes such as the provision of new homes for social rent. That programme, and other programmes that directly support the building of new homes such as HomeBuy Direct, have the added benefit that they deliver new housing supply and support the creation of jobs.

Northern Ireland Office: Hire Cars

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 30 April (WA 71) concerning the cost of hire cars for staff of the Northern Ireland Office, what is the monthly cost in each year for which the information was supplied in the Answer.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The following table shows how much the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and executive NDPBs, paid to suppliers of private hire cars in each month of the financial years since 2000-01 (rounded to nearest £'000), where costs have been charged to the private hire car expenditure code.
	In working through the detail for this response, we have identified an element of miscoding whereby other travel costs have been charged to the private car hire expenditure code. The costs in the previous response were therefore overstated by £120,000. This has been adjusted in the figures below.
	
		
			 £'000 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 
			 April 17 4 23 33 20 24 28 35 9 
			 May 19 1 11 20 26 25 16 36 6 
			 June 23 6 28 18 37 22 39 33 0 
			 July 31 8 29 35 38 21 9 9 12 
			 August 17 17 16 18 24 47 57 38 5 
			 September 10 6 12 18 27 33 12 5 13 
			 October 20 10 16 47 30 23 28 15 4 
			 November 16 13 34 26 59 29 20 20 5 
			 December 6 1 7 31 25 36 23 5 3 
			 January 32 20 36 22 20 35 39 7 4 
			 February 1 1 14 42 31 19 22 17 3 
			 March 29 22 26 41 27 28 19 7 19 
			 Total 221 109 252 351 364 342 312 227 83

Palace of Westminster: Safety

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to make representations to the appropriate authorities concerning the safety of Members and staff of the House of Lords on footpaths around the Palace of Westminster which are also used by cyclists.

Lord Adonis: No. If a footpath is designated for shared use by cyclists and pedestrians, members of the public should inform the police of dangerous behaviour. Where a footpath or highway is not designated for shared use, cycling on the pavement is an offence under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835, and enforcement is therefore an operational matter for the police.

Pensions

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with Sir Fred Goodwin regarding his pension claim.

Lord Myners: Sir Philip Hampton, the new chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland, has appointed a senior independent QC to carry out a full legal investigation of the issues relating to Sir Fred Goodwin's pension. This investigation is ongoing and UK Financial Investments Ltd is being kept advised of developments.

People Trafficking

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding has been allocated in the current and last year for the Metropolitan Police Human Trafficking Unit; whether they will maintain that funding; and whether the knowledge of the Metropolitan Police of human trafficking is shared with other police services.

Lord West of Spithead: Following negotiations with the Metropolitan Police, as a result of which the Met found some money within their existing budget to continue funding anti human trafficking work, the Home Office agreed on an exceptional basis to provide an additional £435,000 for the current financial year.
	Human trafficking is core police business. However, this money was granted in consideration of the fact that the Met, unlike the other forces, could not mainstream this work by the end of the last financial year and on the clear understanding that all anti human trafficking work within the Met would be met from within its existing budget from 1 April 2010 onwards.
	The Metropolitan Police has developed a good relationship with the UK Human Trafficking Centre, which is the acknowledged centre of expertise on human trafficking issues and was established to co-ordinate the law enforcement response to this crime.

Public Bodies

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they encourage bodies in receipt of public funds to publish the salaries and expenses of their senior members of staff.

Baroness Andrews: The Government welcome the report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission report Simple Solutions for Living Together. The commission's findings reinforce the Government's view that, where there is evidence of need for Gypsy and Traveller sites, local authorities should press ahead with identifying appropriate locations where they could be sited. The provision of authorised sites will help to reduce unauthorised camping and thereby help to reduce community tensions and the costs of enforcement action.

Service Industries: Strikes

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered making it obligatory for disputes in service industries such as the railways to be submitted to an independent arbitrator before strike action can be taken.

Lord Adonis: Industrial relations issues are matters between employers and their staff. The Government would expect that any disputes that could not be settled by discussion should be settled by using the various mechanisms that are available.

Shipping: Ferry Operators

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Maritime and Coastguard Agency was aware that in September 2008 the ferry MV CANNA operated by the Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd was operating without a valid passenger carrying certificate; and, if so, what action they took.

Lord Adonis: On 3 October 2008, whilst completing the annual survey of the MV CANNA, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) became aware that the vessel had operated without a valid passenger certificate between 1 and 11 September 2008. The previous survey was carried out correctly, and had the MCA issued the correct paperwork, the passenger certificate would have been valid for a full year through to 18 September 2008.
	The MCA has audited the operating company under the International Safety Management Code arrangements. During that audit the MCA reminded Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd of its responsibilities that not only the surveys are carried out on time, which it did, but to ensure that the paperwork is correct.

Sport: Swimming

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to ensure that consultation on swimming policy is balanced and incorporates the views of all swimming industry stakeholders.

Lord Carter of Barnes: Government are in close consultation with a range of stakeholders including the Local Government Association, the Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers' Association, the Amateur Swimming Association (as the governing body for swimming) and Sport England. We will continue to work with these and other relevant stakeholders as appropriate.